Poll: Recession Affecting Children's Lives

Four In 10 Parents Say The Recession Has Had An Impact On Their Kids; Some Delaying Children's Health Care Procedures

(CBS)  It's not only adults who have felt the pain of the current recession: Nearly four in ten parents say the recession is affecting the lives of their children, a new CBS News poll finds.

Three in four parents see the recession's impact on others in their communities. And two in three are very concerned that many American children do not have health care.

A total of 38 percent of parents say their children's lives have been affected by the recession in some way, including 12 percent who say their children have been impacted a lot.

When asked whether the recession has affected their families overall - and not just their children - four in five parents say they and their families have been impacted. Nearly a third say the recession has had a lot of impact.

As parents have cut back on spending, many have had to acknowledge their families' financial constraints to their children. At some point over the past six months, 60 percent of parents say they have had to tell their children that they may not have the money available for some of the things they used to.

Just over half of those parents say their children were upset when they were told, including one in five who say their children were "very upset."

Parents with incomes under $50,000 report feeling more of an impact and are finding it harder to buy essentials.

Some parents have had to sacrifice paying for their children's health care. About one in 10 parents say over the past six months they have delayed taking their children to the dentist, delayed a routine medical check-up, or delayed taking a child to a medical specialist for a specific treatment because of the recession.

Lower-income families, unsurprisingly, have been more likely to cut corners on medical care because of the recession; about one in five families making less than $30,000 a year have delayed one or more of these treatments.

Health care has been near the top of the list of Americans' concerns, and 67 percent think the fact that many American children do not have health insurance is a very serious problem for the country. Another 23 percent think it is at least somewhat serious.

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Read The Complete Poll (PDF)

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,874 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone May 6-12, 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus two percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

An oversample of parents or guardians of children under 18 living at home with them was interviewed, for a total of 972 interviews with these parents. The results were then weighted in proportion to the total composition of the adult population in the U.S. Census. The margin of error for the sample of parents is three points.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[rleary1234]

I just watched CBS news report on TV of how the recession is affecting children. Not to make light of the kids situation but I bet if they'd drop the cell phone they would have money for food. How many kids (or adults for that matter) do you see driving, or stumbling around staring at their cell phone?? And why are all the people in 'soup lines' morbidly obese now? I saw a really homely 'bag lady' the other day with no teeth or hair in tattered clothes using a welfare card to pay for her food at the supermarket. She paused, and pulled a brightly colored Razer phone from her pocket. I was amazed! Our nation really has horrible priorities nowadays. Good luck all!

[democracy1]

Over the past 30 years, we've seen the average worker's pay falling in comparison to the GDP (while their productivity rose dramatically) and CEO compensation soaring. Companies lay off the "little guy" while keeping CEOs who are often overpaid even while incompetently tanking their companies.

We have also seen the burden of the cost of health care and retirement plan fees increasingly transferred to the worker from the employer over the same time period of time. And since it's considered part of your "compensation package", essentially your "compensation" has gone down.

Isn't it strange that in my parents' generation only one parent generally needed to be the breadwinner? And we weren't buying the latest toys and gadgets (still don't).

But they had full health insurance for their families through their employer.

AND they were able to have a decent pension through their employer.

AND CEOs made a lot less then, relative to the average worker.

AND companies felt a certain loyalty to their workers (which no longer exists).

Care to tell me how all THAT all happened?

How much can you put on the "little guy's" shoulders before he collapses?

I don't believe at all that little Johnny and Janey need everything that they see on TV, but we are at risk of having the middle class collapse. And that's a different story.

[gravyboat45]

You're just a partisan parrot, posting partisan poppycock.
Posted by gravyboat45

pooper....POOPER!

[gravyboat45]

poverty is the root cause of terrorism,

and nobody, NOBODY, has created more

poverty then the RepubliCON's
..........................

Democrats has commited the worst hate crime this country has ever seen. Through their Socialist policies they have enslaved millions of black Americans for generations to a life of near poverty and a complete lack of hope through the welfare system. The violence we see in American cities is a by product of the hatred and jealousy that has been created when these young black people, neutered by these social programs, realize they have not been given the same opportunity to achieve any sort of success.
Posted by jonesjep

Sucking at the teet of Rush I see...

If Dems are to blame for this issue, why didn't Ron, GW 1 or GW 2 do anything about it when they were in charge?

You're just a partisan parrot, posting partisan poppycock.

[jonesjep]

poverty is the root cause of terrorism,

and nobody, NOBODY, has created more

poverty then the RepubliCON's
..........................

Democrats has commited the worst hate crime this country has ever seen. Through their Socialist policies they have enslaved millions of black Americans for generations to a life of near poverty and a complete lack of hope through the welfare system. The violence we see in American cities is a by product of the hatred and jealousy that has been created when these young black people, neutered by these social programs, realize they have not been given the same opportunity to achieve any sort of success.

[onesword]

Or maybe, If Americans wasn't trying for the "Living on Easy Street" concept. We wouldn't be in this mess at all.
Posted by onesword
I am sure that comment made sense to you, it's the rest of us that are foggy about what it meant
Posted by mrcrosbyll

If many were not trying to stay with fashions, electronics, investing in get rich quick schemes, the list can go on and on. Why pay for unneccessary things. We have gotten so lazy over the 30+ years. It's pathetic.

[auphenix]

I am wondering how many of the parents who cut out their children's health care still have cable, satellite, internet, cell phones etc. I hope they would cut the unnecessary items first, but you never know.
Posted by cdegolier at 1:12 PM : May 18, 2009
**************************************************************
Me too. Children shouldn't suffer because their parents can't prioritize bills, but it's sad that we live in a culture where the child's health insurance or doctors' visits will get cut before the cable bill, trips to the movie theatre, or junk food.

[cdegolier]

and as for welfare where have you been Clinton put poor people on limited`timed
assistance, and they have to get job and get 'off' assistance within a certain time
limit, is that not good enough for even a fool like you??
Karl Rove must have paid the idiot bloggeres again because
they seem to be back from their meeting
Posted by mcintoshlou at 1:27 PM : May 18, 2009

Clinton couldn't have done it without REPUBLICANS:
Aug 6, 1996 - Sir: Nicholas Timmins misses the central point that Bill Clinton was unable to deliver his welfare reforms largely because, between 1992 and 1994, a Democrat Congress prevented him from doing so.
And when Obama starts taxing employees and employer healthcare to pay for his government run crap, more Working Americans will lose their healthcare.

[mcintoshlou]

parents don't cut health carefool employers do,

and as for welfare where have you been Clinton put poor people on limited`timed

assistance, and they have to get job and get 'off' assistance within a certain time

limit, is that not good enough for even a fool like you??

Karl Rove must have paid the idiot bloggeres again because

they seem to be back from their meeting

[cdegolier]

poverty is the root cause of terrorism,

and nobody, NOBODY, has created more

poverty then the RepubliCON's
Posted by mcintoshlou at 1:14 PM : May 18, 2009

And the democrats make sure people stay impoverished and on welfare.

[cdegolier]

Let me get them excited to post......If the Republicans (capitalism) had it their way, Slavery would be Legal in America.
Posted by lovegetpeace

Lincoln was a Republican, he is the one who stopped slavery. Its the Southern Democrats that insisted on slavery. Read a book idiot.

[mcintoshlou]

poverty is the root cause of terrorism,

and nobody, NOBODY, has created more

poverty then the RepubliCON's

[cdegolier]

I am wondering how many of the parents who cut out their children's health care still have cable, satellite, internet, cell phones etc. I hope they would cut the unnecessary items first, but you never know.

[tbbaot]

This article missed the most tragic affect on our childrens lives. The decades it will take them to pay back all the spending and borrowing the government has done in the past 100 days.

[onesword]

Let me get them excited to post......If the Republicans (capitalism) had it their way, Slavery would be Legal in America.
Posted by lovegetpeace

Actually, the thought process about slavery is ; If we had known, we would have picked our own cotton.
Posted by mrcrosbyll

Or maybe, If Americans wasn't trying for the "Living on Easy Street" concept. We wouldn't be in this mess at all.

[lovegetpeace]

How come the posts have stopped?
Posted by endeaver-2009 at 9:16 AM : May 18, 2009

Maybe you scared them all away!! LOL
Posted by Marine111 at 9:20 AM : May 18, 2009

Let me get them excited to post......If the Republicans (capitalism) had it their way, Slavery would be Legal in America.

[lovegetpeace]

Over 34,000 of our youths normally commit Suicide each year. Now, we worry about a few more suicides due to this recession?

[DaVicar5]

Things must be slow at the Pop Stand today , Huh, Vicar? No reason to get so 'Tense'
Posted by endeaver-2009



Oh, that's Oh Kay - I am already relaxed.

[DaVicar5]

The Repig's would love it if they could pay fifty cents per hour, which they tried to do for twenty five years. --------------------- Posted by endeaver-2009




FIFTY CENTS?

You lousy LiberDorks haven't grovelled enough for Fifty Cents!!!

[mcintoshlou]

hello Mr. GravyBoat,

i hope all is well